Perceived Sense of Safety for Children in Out-Of-Home Care Who Have Experienced Multiple Moves

University of Tennessee, Knoxville TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 5-2003 Perceived sense of safety for children in out-of-home care who have experienced multiple moves Keith Allen Bailey Follow this and additional works at: https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss Recommended Citation Bailey, Keith Allen, "Perceived sense of safety for children in out-of-home care who have experienced multiple moves. " PhD diss., University of Tennessee, 2003. https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss/5103 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized administrator of TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. For more information, please contact [email protected]. To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a dissertation written by Keith Allen Bailey entitled "Perceived sense of safety for children in out-of-home care who have experienced multiple moves." I have examined the final electronic copy of this dissertation for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, with a major in Human Ecology. Cheryl Buehler, Major Professor We have read this dissertation and recommend its acceptance: Accepted for the Council: Carolyn R. Hodges Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School (Original signatures are on file with official studentecor r ds.) To the GraduateCouncil: I amsubmitting herewith a dissertation written by Keith Allen Bailey entitled "Perceived Sense of Safetyfor Children in Out-of-Home Care WhoHave ExperiencedMuhiple Moves." I haveexamined the finalpaper copy of this dissertationfor form and content andrecommend that itbe accepted in partialfulfillment of the requirements forthe degree of Doctorof Philosophy,with a majorin Human Ecology. �hler, MajorProfessor Accepted forthe Co Vice Provost andDe Graduate Studies PERCEIVEDSENSE OF SAFETY FOR CHILDREN IN OUT-OF-HOME CARE WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED MULTIPLE MOVES A Dissertation Presented forthe Doctor of Philosophy Degree The University of Tennessee, Knoxville Keith Allen Bailey May 2003 ii Copyright © 2003 by Keith A. Bailey All rights reserved. 111 DEDICATION This project is dedicated to the children and youth who must live in out-of-home care, with hopes that improvement i� their care will come as a result of listening to them voice their needs and responding accordingly. lV ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My thanks is expressed to many people who supportedme in completing this project and the Ph.D. degree: the staffand youth at Holston United Methodist Home for Children; and, my DoctoralCom mittee - Dr. Brian Barber, Dr. John Orme, Dr. Mick Nordiquist, and especially Dr. Cheryl Buehler, my Major Professor, who gave guidance with great patience. I am gratefulto my family, my fatherand mother, Charles and Joyce Bailey, who always encouraged me to pursue knowledge and to serve others, and to my children, . Kaitlyn and Taylor, who are my true teachers of child development and parenting. My deepest gratitude, however, is offered to my wife, Angela, who has been understanding, longsuffering, and, most of all, supportiveas I pursued this proj�ct and degree. V ABSTRACT This study used both qualitative and quantitative methods to·explore the sense of safety held by adolescent males in out-of-home care. The qualitative study used a phenomenological approach to come to understandtheir perception of their sense of safety, especially as it was related to moving multiple times between placements. Twelve adolescent males between the ages of 13 and 18 years were interviewedand asked how they experienced moving between placements and what made them feel safeor unsafein the process. Their responses were categorized into major themes that included: relating to caregivers, gaining information, adapting, beh�vior of other youth, family issues, and types of moves. Implications for practice arediscussed related to the youths' responses. The quantitative portionof the study consisted of establishing the reliability and validity of the Sense of Safety Scale (SOSS), which was developed by the researcher. This scale, designed to assess the physical and psychoemotional sense of safetyof youth in out-of-home care, was administered to 90 adolescent males, between the ages of 12 and 18 years, who were in variouslevels of fostercare placement, with the majority being in residential care. The SOSS was foundto have a high internalconsistency with this sample. It also was found to have significantcorrelations with established scales that measured self-esteem, locus of control, and internalizingproblem behavior, thus establishing constructvalidity. Vl TABLE OF CONTENTS Page I. Introduction .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 1 II. Literature Review ..............................................· ......................· ... 4 Permanency Issues .................................................................. 4 Definition .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 4 Federal Legislation and Practice . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 4 Lawsuits ..................................................................... 8 Research on Multiple Moves Between Placement� ...................... : .....10 Number of Moves ......................................................... 10 Outcomes ofMultiple Moves ........................ ··.· ................. 12 Sense of Safety ..................................................................... 15 Lack of Research on Safety in Permanency Literature . .. .. .. .. .. 15 Child Development Theories Related to Safety .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 16 Safety and identity fo�ation ................................... 17 Attachmenttheory .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 19 Developmental issues of fosterchildren .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 21 Safetyin Therapy .............. : .......................................... 23 Safety forChildren in Care .. .. .. .. .. .. ............. , . .. .. .. .. 24 ResearchRelated to the Unique Sample ........................................ 25 III. Qualitative Study ....................................... :. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 28 Paradigmatic Perspective ..........................................................28 Role of the Researcher ............................................................. 29 Vll Bracketing Statement ......................................... _-... .. .. .. .... .. 3 0 Method ....................................................................................... 33 Sample ....................._ ........................................................... 33 Human Subjects Approval ...................................... � ...... ·.. .. .. .. .. .. .. 34 InterviewMethodology ..................................................................... 3 5 �ata .Analysis . : ....... .-......... ·....... ................................... � .................... 37 Findings ........ ♦- ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• ; � •••••••••••••••••••••••• •••••• 40 Descriptions ofMoving .......................................· .................... 40 Family Issues .......................................................... : . .. .. .. .. 40 "Good" Moves vs. �'Bad" Moves ................................................ 42 Safety ..............................................................·............. ..... 43 . Relationships with and roles of caregivers ... : ........................ 43 Needing information ................................. : .................... 46 Watching and waiting· ................................................· ..... 48 Friends ...................................................................... 49 Negative behavior of other youth .......... '......... .....................· 50 Adapting .............................................................· ................ 51 Choices and control ... : ................................................... 51 Helping Other Youth Move In andMove Out ................................... 53 One Finaf-Statement .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 54 Discussion ..................................................................................... 54 Safety ................................................................................ 57 Need forinformation ...................................................... 59 Vlll Limitations .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ... .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 61 Implications forPractice .................................................. 63 IV. Quantit�tive Study .................................................................... 70 Pilot Study ........ · . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 70 Development of the Sense of SafetyScale ............................. 71 Pilot Study Sample Characteristics ..................................... 74 Data on SOSS from Pilot Study ......................................... 76 Second Wave Data Collection ..................................................... 76 Method ..................................................................... 76 Human subjects approval ....................................... 76 Data collection and storage .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 76 Sample characteristics ........................................... 77 Overall Sample Characteristics .........................................

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